Page 50 - Randy Penn Everything Knots Book

37-032-6-pp001-pp274.qxd 9/1/2010 2:49 PM Page 35

LEARNING TO TIE KNOTS

When you’re making hitches, you’ll also come across “turns”
and “round turns.” These are two ways of starting a hitch around
a ring, bar, or rail (see FIGURE 3-5). With the turn, the running end
is passed just once around the rail, which will allow a transfer of
strain from the standing part to the rest of the knot. This may be
desirable for some hitches that are better able to hold with strain
on them. With the round turn, the extra turn around the rail allows
friction to help hold against strain in the standing part, which may
help when hitching a rope under strain and takes some of the
strain off the knot. The round turn is the first part of the popular
hitch called the Round Turn and Two Half Hitches.

FIGURE 3-5: Starting a hitch: turn and round turn

Tying Overhand
The Overhand Knot and the Multiple Overhand Knot structures
are used in many knots, and it is valuable to become familiar with
their form. FIGURE 3-6 shows the shape of a Multiple Overhand Knot
of three turns in what is called its “belly and spine” form (the belly
may also be referred to as the bight). When you tighten the
Multiple Overhand Knot by pulling on both ends, the belly wraps
around the spine until it is barrel-shaped, as shown in FIGURE 3-7.

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